Summary
Elon Musk’s email demanding federal employees report their weekly work to him was mistakenly sent to judiciary staff, despite the courts being independent of the executive branch.
Judges and judicial employees received the directive but were advised to ignore it. Legal experts criticized the move as a “fundamental failure” to understand separation of powers.
Amid backlash, Musk later called the email “a test.”
The mistake has added to ongoing litigation, with lawsuits arguing Musk’s mandate violated the law and judicial independence.
No, they just haven’t started defunding judicial stuff yet. If they can access the judicial funds, courts that get in the way can expect to lose funding like everyone else.